Susan E. Wagner hosts opera Saturday: STAGE WHISPERS

STATEN ISLAND, NY -- On Jan. 10, under threat of blizzard, dozens of area residents, including 30 students from Susan E. Wagner High School, filed into the school's auditorium for the opera.
The snow waited until the production was over. That's a powerful opera.

While the wooden seats at Wagner are not covered in plush red cushions like at Lincoln Center, the large screen projection and stereo speakers were the focus. It was the continuing transmission of the Met Live in HD series presenting Giacomo Puccini's "La Rondine."
Real-life husband and wife team, Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna, sang the roles of lovers -- she is told by a psychic at her party that she would experience true romantic love. Kept by a wealthy man who continues to seek her hand in marriage, Magda still longs for the fiery passion that romance holds. She finds that in Ruggero, who as it turns out is on a fixed income. She gives him a false name, and they fall in love -deeply, madly, truly.
It all takes place in France, starting with the party in a Paris home, shifting to a swanky club and then changing to the French Riviera in one of the rare operas where nobody dies.
"La Rondine" was beautifully sung -- despite and announcement at the open that Gheorghiu was suffering with a cold. And there were glorious sets and costumes.
This week is another transmission. This time it's "What you get at the transmission that is not available at Lincoln Center is a bird's eye view of the orchestra pit and back stage through set changes. Interviews with cast members were hosted by Renee Fleming.
This week is "Lucia di Lammermoor" on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 1pm. It's free to all Island high school students, parents and educators.
Again the story centers on love, but also on waring families, revenge and quest for power, where women are married off for political gain. This time we're in Scotland. Lucia Lammermoor is in love with Edgardo from the Ravenswood family and he with her. (Think Capulets and Montague's). Lucia's brother, Enrico plots to marry his sister off to Arturo of the Bucklaw family. Lucia goes mad at the thought and tragic things happen.

File photoDiane Zerega, arts director at Susan E. Wagner High School is excited about the prospect of sharing a pure and ancient artform with students.

Diane Zerega, long-time area actor and director and owner of the former Center Stage Productions company, volunteered for the blueprint committee which helped plan the education outreach and transmission series. Zerega sat on the panel while a teacher at I.S. 61. Came just as Zerega came as performing arts teacher/technical theater teacher at Wagner, so started the transmissions.
More than the school's central location, parking accessibility and sound equipment, Wagner High School was a prime spot of the transmissions also because of its dedication to the arts.
So exposing students to opera makes sense.
"What's really important (about opera) is that it's the oldest form of entertainment," Zerega said. "And the purist, with no sound or special effects. It requires the actor to tell a story that are sometimes ancient. They are grand. If you can tell a story in a different language so that the audience understands it, that is powerful."
Call 718-698-4200 for more information.